Game apparatus



July 10, 1928. 1,676,755

- A. L. WALTON GAME APPARATUS Filed Sept. 16, 1926vlllplInflIlllllll..IIIIIIIIIII'IIH iipvenfibr I Mu fimz j Patented July10, 1928.

UNIT D 5 A 1,576,755" 1.; raiser crates;

ALFRED LEONARD WALTON, or BLACKPOOL, nitGLAN'D.

I GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed September 16, 1926, Serial No. 135,971, and.-in'Great'Britain September 18, 1925.

The invention relates to game apparatus and provides means wherebytwoopposingplayers, or teams of players, may retard or neutralize eachothers efforts.

The presentinvention comprises BSSBDlI-litle ly an improved mechanismadapted to be operated by suitable controlsand so arranged,

that a differential motion is imparted to an indicating device arrangedfor a game.

* In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of a game apparatusconstructed according to this invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are elevations ofmodificat ons.

Referring to Fig. l whichillustrates one form of this invention, anindicating device is arranged and may be provided with suitableapparatus and background to represent the game known as tug-of-warf andcon? sists of two teams of suitable figures appar ently tugging at eachother through the medium of a rope.

The two sets of figures are fixed to a slidably mounted bar 1, andprovided with suitable means such as springs or weights to tend to keepthe indicating bar 1 in a central orzero position In the exampleshown, a

- weight'2 is carried by a cord or chain 3 fixed to. th indicatingbar .1and the said cord passes'freely betweenthe two studs 4, wh ch are fixedto the stationary bracket 5.

Then the. indicating bar 1 is moved to either the right or to the leftthe weight 2 will be lifted and thereby tend to return the bar 1 tothecentre or zero position.

- The bar 1 is connected to th memberof a differential gear mechanismwhichfcarries the intermediate or planetary wheelv or wheels 7, whichconnection in thiscase is the spiral gear 6, which is suitably geared tothe spiral rack cut in bar 1, and the axial wheels 8 and 8 are driventhrough shafts 9 and 9, and 9 gears 10. and 10 from hand-. wheels 11 and11 Clutches 12 and12? are arranged to connect the motion from thehandwheels, either by hand orby known means, through the medium of coinoperated mechanism and disconnect the said handwheels either by hand, orby other known means when-the indicating bar reaches a predetermined postion,and known means may be provided to discharge a coin or coins whenthe indicating device reaches a predetermined position.

When the clutches are in gear and the handwheels 11 and 11 are caused torevolve in the same direction at equal speeds, motion is transmitted tothe wheels 8 and 8 which will revolve at equal speeds, but in oppositedirections, and cause the wheel 7 to revolve on its own axis, withouttransmitting a motion to wheel 6, and indicating bar 1, but if onehandwheel is caused to revolve at a different speed to the other, thenthe result ant dnferent al motion will betransmitted through wheel 6 tothe indicating bar 1.

The indicating device may be made in any suitable form and may representany game of a suitable nature.

Fig. 2illustrates a modified construction where two pairs of controllinghandwheels are used, handwheel shafts 13 and l3% 'constituting one pair,and 14 and 14* constituting 18 to shafts 2.0and 2W then through plansetary gears 19. and 199to shafts 9 and 9 and if handwheel shafts 13 andl3 -are turning, they will transmit an additional motion to.shafts'fiand 9 from shafts 20 and 20 throughplanetarywheels and 19 andthe resultant motions are transmittedthrough differential gears 8, 837and G to the indicating-bar 1 in a manner as previously described for Fig. 1.

A feature of this construction is that each handwheel adds its own shareto the final motion and when a number of handwheels are employed, say 6pairs, then the combined efforts of a team of six players against anopposing team of six players will be shown by the indicating bar, or inthe event of an unequal number of players, for example, six ladiesopposing tl'iree'genetlemen a true in dication of the combined effortsof each team if players will be shown at the-indicating The direction ofrotation of the various members of thisconstruction are preferably asindicated by the arrows, when all the handwheels shafts are turning butmay be modified to suit convenience of construction,

' also, means'are provided for returning the [means of a suitable key asshown at and at the same time permit a longitudinal'slid ing motion ofshaft 22.

VVhenthe nut 1S engaging the thread on shaft 22', and both nut and shaftare caused to revolve in the same direction at the same speed, no motionwill be transmitted to the indicating bar, but if any variation in'speedof rotation between the shaft 22 and nut 24 occurs, then a resultantdifferential motion is transmitted to the indicating bar 1.

The body of nut 24 is bored to a clearance size, so as not to engage thethreads of the screw on'shaft 22, but to act only as a bear- I ing forthe said shaft, and a spring operated, threaded die 26 is carried in thebody of the nut 24 and adapted to engage the threads of the shaft 22,and such engagement or disengagement is controlled by the position ofthe sliding flanged collar 27.

Means are provided for returning the indicating bar to a Zero positionas previously described.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is tocbe performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. A game apparatus comprising a movable indicatingmembed, an element coupled to the indicating member for moving it inopposite direction from a zero point, a plu rality of control devicescoupled to the direction element adapted to be operated independently atcompetitive speeds by opposing participants in the game and an.element-coupled to the indicating member tending to keep such member inthe zero position.

2. A game apparatus comprising a movable indicating member, adifferential gear coupled to the indicating member, two

shafts connected to thedifferentia'l gear each adapted to beindependently operated at competitive speeds by opposing participants inthe game to move the indicating member in opposite directions andan'element coupled to the indicating member tending t keep it in thezero position.

the indicating member, a differential gear,

gearing within the rack, two shafts con nected to gear members of thedifferential 1 gear through its planetary and to gear drivesindependently-operated at competi tive speeds by opposing participantsin the game to move the indicating member, in opposite directions and anelement coupled to the indicating member tending to keepit in the zeroposition. i I

4. A game-apparatus comprising a movable indicating member, adifferential gear coupled to the indicating member, a plurality ofshafts connected to the differential gear, and to a plurality ofadditional differential gears not directly connected to the indicatingmember, adapted to be independently-operated at competitive speeds by opposing participants in the game to move the indicating memberin'opposite directions, and airelement coupled to the indicating membertending to keep it in the" zero p0 sition. p I

5. A game apparatus comprising a movable indicating member, a rackcarried by the indicating member, a differential gear, gearing with therack, a plurality of shafts connected to the differential gear and to aplurality of additional differential gears not directlyconnected to theindicating member, but connected to gear members of the dif-' ferentialgearsi through their planetary gears, gear drives for actuating theadditional differential gears operatedindependently at competitivespeeds by opposing participants in the game to move the'indieatingmember in opposite directionsyand an element coupled to the indicatingmember tending to keep it in the zero position.

6. A game apparatus comprising a movable indicating member, anaxially-movable shaft connected to the indicating member so as to movewith it simultaneously in either direction, worm gear devices operatedindependently at competitive speeds by opposing participants in the gameto move the indicating member and the shaft in one direction or theother simultaneously,-the worm wheel of one gear being splined to allowthe shaft to move endwise through it whilst the other worm wheel issupported on a bush through which the shaft can slide, said bushbeing'arti'culated to a screw-threaded portion of the shaft by a gearcatch engaging said screw-threaded portion, and an element coupled tothe indicating member to tend to keep it in the zero position.

ALFRED LEONARD WALTON;

